It only took a few months for this special conductor to win the hearts of Quebecers.
Wherever we meet Rafael Payare, on the street, at the exit of the Maison symphonique or in the restaurant, we stop to take a selfie with him. Less than a year ago, he was known only to the musicians of the Orchester symphonique de Montréal, which he had been invited to conduct two or three times. Born in Venezuela, he has just taken over the musical direction of the OSM for at least five years. This man has even more charisma than hair, which is saying something.
Payare turns 43 next month. He’s internationally known, but he wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Originally from Puerto La Cruz, a port city from which Venezuela exports some of its oil, Rafael joined El Systema at the age of 14, which offers music lessons to underprivileged young people. Rafael discovers the horn there. He was 23 years old when the founder of this unique program, Antonio Abreu, discovered his unique talent for conducting. His rise has been meteoric: first prize at the famous Nicolai Malko Triennial Competition in 2012, assistant to Claudio Abbado at the Simon Bolivar Orchestra, assistant to Daniel Barenboim at the Berlin State Opera, then conductor of the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast and conductor of the San Diego Orchestra until his appointment to the OSM.
ALL IS RAFAEL
Never before has a conductor conquered the hearts of his musicians so quickly. Even if there are a hundred, Rafael is interested in all of them. He calls her by her first name and rejects the title “Maestro”. It’s just Raphael. On his first visits to Montreal, he spoke no French. He has been fluent in Québec French ever since, and his wife Alisa Weilerstein, an internationally renowned cellist, speaks as if she were born in Montreal, the refined French she was taught in the best private schools in the United States.
Never before has a conductor put down roots so spontaneously. The small family have already bought a house in Outremont, the eldest daughter, Ariadna, seven, attends Stanislas College and little Elina, 12 months, will soon be stammering French. For the first time in his life, Rafael drives a car in the snow and he loves it!
METAMORPHOSIS OF THE OSM
A few years ago, at the instigation of the conductor Kent Nagano, the OSM launched a music education program for children, financed exclusively by private donations. The program, used primarily in Montreal North, introduces young people to intensive music learning. At the moment, the program is more modest than El Systema, where Payare comes from, but the latter intends to give back what he received there by attracting more donors and allowing a larger number of children to participate in the program.
Within a few months, Payare transformed the Orchester symphonique de Montréal. It made him lively and prancing like a wild horse. Rigorous and precise as a Swiss watch under the direction of Charles Dutoit, intellectual and almost too wise under the direction of Kent Nagago, the OSM is now bursting with joy and energy. Rafael Payare is having a great time on the podium. It explodes, it explodes, it levitates. He gives well-known music new dimensions. Sometimes he pushes the tone, but the musicians persevere and he takes us all with him. How can you not make him artist of the year?
